Last modified: 25 Sep 2019 09:58
The question of the human is at the forefront of contemporary philosophical and cultural enquiry. Looking at a range of popular and literary texts, as well as recent theoretical writings, this course investigates the relation between the human and animal and the representation of human transformation and adaptation in order to study contemporary approaches to the body, language, and suffering.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
|
||
The questions of what it means to be human, and of where the boundaries between the human, the animal, and the machine might lie, have grown ever more pressing in contemporary fiction. Looking at a wide range of texts and genres, including realist fiction, science fiction, crime fiction, and graphic novels, as well as at a substantial number of relevant philosophical and theoretical texts, this course will explore how the question of the human has been handled in recent literature. Themes considered will include: the relation between human and animal suffering; the role of language in shaping identity; the ethics of human transformation and improvement (clones, cyborgs, and genetic tinkering), and the relation between body and self. Authors to be studied may include Kazuo Ishiguro, Ali Smith, Michel Faber, and Patrick Ness.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 45 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Students will receive prompt oral feedback in seminars, and will receive formal written feedback on essays within three weeks of submission. |
Word Count | 3500 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
|
||
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 35 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Students will receive prompt oral feedback in seminars, and will receive formal written feedback on essays within three weeks of submission. |
Word Count | 2500 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
|
||
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | ||||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
|
||
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | ||||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
|
||
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | Word Count | |||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
|
||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
|
||
We have detected that you are have compatibility mode enabled or are using an old version of Internet Explorer. You either need to switch off compatibility mode for this site or upgrade your browser.
